Oh to be truly thankful for what I have and to have REAL expectations in life. I mean, IF I am truly thankful for all that is given me (no matter what) – and to KNOW what is expected – doesn’t that sound peace-ful (full of peace) – wouldn’t that be a “slice of heaven” so to speak?
I have a sweet granddaughter (Adalay) who is 10 months old, breast-fed and still not sleeping through the night. She wakes up and needs comfort. She’s hungry. That’s reality. To expect that she be comforted WITHOUT her mother – is that a REAL expectation? Probably not. I did have her for the night a couple weeks ago and we “made do” although we were up quite a bit (we took a delicious 4 hour nap later J).
Anyway, the REALity of it is that Adalay needs comforting in the middle of the night, albeit, with or without milk. A lactation specialist has told my daughter-in-love that THAT is NORMAL – a REAL expectation for babies, even at 10 months old. If we look at this as a REAL expectation, is it any different?
I think so. One could look at it like this:
§ Sweet baby
§ She needs to be nourished
§ She needs nourishment even in the middle of the night
§ While she is feeding, there’s snuggle-time, rocking and soothing going on. There’s QUIET one-on-one time that doesn’t happen very often during the day-time hours
Or one could look at it like this:
§ One baby
§ Baby is hungry
§ Mom’s body
§ Sleep deprived
§ Not fair
Which is the REAL expectation ?
I’m thinking the first example is a “thankful” reality – the second one, a “prideful” reality. But are they both “real”? Depends on you, your outlook, your heart. Scripture tells us in Psalm 30: Hear, O LORD, and be merciful to me; O LORD, be my help. You turned my wailing into dancing; You removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing to You and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give you thanks forever.
May my heart see – the REALity of Your Goodness, dear Lord!
PS: Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE a good night’s sleep! But If I could do ONE THING over from when my boys were babies, I’d relish EVERY SINGLE MOMENT of our one-on-one times, even the ones in the middle of the night!
I think everyone needs to learn to see the world this way. As an opportunity to see the beautiful things He creates instead of the way most people might see it - as an annoyance. Sure, you're up at 3 in the morning, but it's just you, Adalay and God. Both of you need that time to share with Him, and it'll shape your lives according to His plan. As Walt Whitman said, "To me, every hour of the day and night is an unspeakably perfect miracle." - and that was printed on my pack of chewing gum! God puts His beauty (meant for us) where He knows we'll se it - we have to learn to take that chance in the event we'll see it and learn from it! We have to learn to see the world the way He wants us to. Thanks for the insight on how!
ReplyDelete~A friend you saw tonight. (PS, I was the youngest one there - that should give you a hint ;)